As a kid, The Little Rascals was my go-to shorts on television. In almost every episode, the titular group needed to accomplish something. Be it putting on a show, getting the girl, or earning some cash, they used their child-like resources to make it happen. In director Terrence Green’s comedic feature, Summer With The Guys, the rascals are replaced by four grown-a*s college men, and their adult-like resources involve stripping.
College football roommates DC (Terrence Green), Jay (Brannon Watson), Dan (James Hal Hardy), and Bmore (Brashaad Mayweather) were just delivered some bad news. Thanks to radical changes among the college administrators, all four roomies have lost their scholarships and must come up with the remaining tuition over the summer, or they’re out of college and off the football team. Worse, they don’t have enough money to cover rent.
Thankfully, the school arranged for them to get good jobs over the summer. However, DC, Jay, Dan, and Bmore are such unreliable buffoons they’re unhireable. But as luck would have it, a strip club for ladies just opened, and the owner, Ms. Cash (Lina Outler), needs new talent. Fortunately, aside from pursuing a football career, DC is an accomplished dancer and teaches the guys a few tantalizing moves for the crowd.
“…a strip club for ladies has just opened, and the owner, Ms. Cash, needs new talent.”
Summer With The Guys falls squarely in that independent comedy category and tries to find the balance between drama and comedy. Thankfully, writers Brashaad Mayweather and Marquese ‘Kese’ Deese never bring the humor into the goofy, wink-at-the-camera, I’m-telling-a-joke territory. Instead, the comedy comes from the semi-dangerous situations the boys find themselves in and their irrepressible way of coming out on top.
Storywise, I like that the boys constantly chase the “pot of gold.” After a successful debut, Ms. Cash demands her cut of their earnings. She then gives them party drugs to “loosen up,” and then she convinces DC to deal said drugs on the side. As much as the plot is about our heroes trying to earn enough summer cash to pay their tuition, the film’s about four best friends helping each other out in all the right and wrong ways. Ultimately, they realize that earning “easy” money is never that easy. The main cast gives good performances, as most of the comedy comes out of their chemistry in this comedy/drama.
The only real criticism comes from the inherent weaknesses of low-low budget indie filmmaking. The overall look and feel are low-budget indie. The sound is sometimes inconsistent, the camera work is a bit basic, and the editing is frenetic, particularly during the more jokey moments. The not-so-quick solution to these problems comes with time and experience, and I’m pretty sure filmmakers Terrance Green and Brashaad Mayweather will keep making movies and improve step-by-step over time.
While Hollywood has no idea how to make a comedy anymore, films like Summer With The Guys are coming out of the woodwork to take over the void. It’s a fun film for a weekend of just chilling.
For more information, visit the Summer With The Guys linktr.ee page.
"…a fun film..."
